As
preparations intensify for the Scorpions ahead of the Gambia’s first and away
leg to Angola in the start of Qualifiers for the Afcon 2021, the Gambia
Football Federation has announced an inclusion of a new Team Doctor and Physio
that would now be working with the Senior National Team (Scorpions )
henceforth.
Tom
Mertens 38 a Belgian national, is the new Scorpions physiotherapist. Mertens is
a Master in Science who specialized in manual therapy and sports physio. He
worked for seven (7) years for the Belgian FA and has worked for more than ten
years at the Belgian Olympic Committee as Physio of the National Hockey team;
current World Cup Champions. He attended two Olympic Games; London 2012 and Rio
2016.
The
Federation has further announced that the Scorpions will now have in their
ranks a new Doctor in the person of Dr.
Landing Jarju who works at the Internal Medicine Department of the Edward
Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in Banjul. Dr. Jarju 30 is a young
Gambian Medical Officer with a very good track record. He was formerly with the
Home Based National Team (CHAN) that participated at the recently ended WAFU
Cup of Nations 2019 in Thies.
The
two new inclusions Mertens and Dr. Jarju will begin work with the Scorpions
when the Gambia plays away to Angola in Luanda on the 13th November, 2019 at
the start and first leg of the Scorpions Group D Afcon Qualifiers.
The
new change is geared towards the Federation’s quest to comply with CAF’s demand
to having qualified medical practitioners with the National teams.
This
new development follows the appointment of Mr Alagi Sarr as Assistant Coach to
Tom Saintfiet.
Source:
GFF
